Broken Bodies, Breaking Hearts
by Sabaku-No-Gaara1994
Summary: Gaara is a soldier that has lost everything, and Sakura is the nurse that saved his life. They have a history, and now he must learn to let her help him. GaaSaku. AU.


Hello all. I am still alive, but I sadly do not have much access to the internet with the exception of my grandmothers iPhone. I want to thank everyone that has stuck with me and continues to read my works. I plan on updating a few of my working in progress this weekend. Please stick with me. Thank you.

Love, Sabaku-no-Gaara1994

-OnWithTheStory-

Gaara lay in the golden brown sands of Sunagakure he had come to know as his home away from home for the last six years.

He was a young man of only twenty six and the longer he lay there, the faster it ran red with his blood.

He had come here as a soldier of Konoha and he would die here a soldier of Konoha.

The more he though about it the harder it was not to laugh at the irony that was his life.

His mother died giving birth to him in a small village right here in Suna. Before she passed she begged her brother to take him away from his father Yusa, and his band of rebels known as the Sons of Shukaku.

So Yashamaru took Gaara under the cover of night to Konoha to live a normal life. As Konoha was the most stable of all the five country's that bordered each other. His mother knew that was where he would have the best chance to be a normal kid.

Yusa Sabaku was not happy. He began a campaign to push Konoha out of the desert. As they gained more power they tore down the government that Konoha had put in place years ago.

His mothers dying wish was for him to have a normal life away from the violence that Suna had become infamous for, and now here he was, bleeding out on the sands his mother had never even wanted him to see.

He had no idea how he had gotten this far, he could still see the mountain range he had dragged himself off of. He hopped he had lost them, but he had never had the best relationship with hope.

He tried to move but found his left arm was entirely useless. He couldn't feel it much less move it.

His platoon had become famous back home in Konoha, they had become known as the Bijuu here in Suna. Demons that walked the earth.

As he lay there he could almost feel his lungs filling up with blood. The sun beat down on him and he couldn't tell if his face was covered in sweat or blood. As it turned out, it was a disgusting mixture of both.

He found himself at peace with dying. His brothers had all died up on that mountain. Naruto had died up on that mountain. He was the one that should have lived. Always looking on the bright side of things.

Naruto was the brother Gaara always wanted, and his best friend. They had been friends since grade school. Though Gaara was sometimes hesitant to admit the bright yellow ball of energy was his friend, Naruto always saw through the taciturn shell that was Gaara.

He had to be the one to tell Narutos family. That was the only reason he could think of to fight. It would be better they hear it from him then some faceless men the government would send.

As the sun hit the mountain range he blacked out.

He awoke to the sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air, he was saved.

Sakura Haruno was a medic at Konohas forward operating base in Suna. She was born and raised in Konoha city. After medical school she trained with Dr. Tsunade, one of the best doctors in the entire would.

The military recruited her three years ago after she finished her training. Her tour of duty was almost up, she was scheduled to go home next week, and she was looking forward to getting out of the desert.

The main reason she joined up was because of her two best friends. Naruto and Gaara. They had enlisted in the Army Rangers and never looked back.

She stood outside the medical tent taking in the desert sights when she saw the medivac helicopter. There was about to be a new patient.

She rushed back into the tent to prepare her medical bay for the incoming wounded.

Another doctor rushes in and briefed her on the incoming patient, he made it clear there was only one.

"From what I've been told the incoming soldier has no less then a dozen gunshot wounds, his breathing is very shallow, most likely a collapsed lung. Not to mention any other internal injuries that usually come with so many bullet wounds, from what I've been told this young man is very lucky to be alive." Dr. Hyuga said.

He was the head doctor of the medical pavilion and one of the most talented surgeons Sakura had ever worked with, and he was only a few years older than her.

"I've also been told he has shrapnel throughout his right leg." He finished.

"Sounds like this guy was put through the ringer." Sakura sighed, she had mostly had to deal with simple infantry man wounds for the last three years, a few gun shot wounds here and there, and a lot of broken bones. This would be the first time her skills would truly be put to the test.

"Most Rangers have a very intense will to live." Neji responded.

Sakura paled at his words, there were a lot of Rangers she didn't know to be sure, but two of the most important people in her life just happened to be two of the youngest, and most decorated members of the elite fighting unit.

She paled even more when they rolled in the soldier and she saw the blood red hair that could only belong to Gaara Sabaku.

She immediately shut down any emotional response her brain had and let her training take over.

It had taken almost six hours to stabilize the Ranger. His right lung was indeed collapsed, and his left was half full of blood, and steadily still filling. His right leg was more bone then flesh. By the time she had finished picking the shrapnel she found that one piece had severed a major artery and had he tried to pull it out himself he surely would have died.

His left arm was essentially useless. The socket had been torn through by seven bullets and it left his arm hanging limply by his side. It would require a prosthetic joint and months of rehab for him to ever even think of using the limb again.

There was another three gunshot wounds in his chest, two just narrowly missing his heart, and the third had perforated his right kidney.

Another bullet wound that had shattered his left knee, and they had deduced that it would be a miracle if he ever walked again.

How he ever made it out of wherever he was Sakura would never know, but now that he was in stable enough condition and she stood outside the tent, she had never felt more relieved, and scared, in her entire life.

"How is he doing?" A grey haired man asked.

She almost jumped at the voice, she had never even heard him walk up on her.

"How is who, sir?" She asked.

"Mr. Sabaku. I am his commanding officer. Lieutenant Kakashi Hatake." He said, sticking out his hand to shake hers, "and I hear I have you to thank for saving one of my best soldiers live."

"We have done all we can for him, sir. I fear that he will most likely never walk again, or have full use of his left arm, but if I know Gaara he will be back up on his feet ready to go back for another round in no time." Sakura said.

"His physical injuries aside Ms. Haruno, Gaara just lost the closest things to brothers he had in his life. His whole squad died up on that mountain, Gaara carried one of them as far as he could before his broken body gave out. The other men have been brought home for a proper burial." Kakashi said.

The words were like a steel knife in her windpipe. She knew that Gaara and Naruto were in the same platoon, and if Gaara was the only to survive that meant Naruto was gone.

She had never cried so hard in her life.

Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder.

"I am sorry I was the one to have to tell you Ms. Haruno, Gaara and Naruto were like sons to me. I have heard much about you in the last six years and I wish we could have met under better circumstances."

"Thank you for telling me, sir." Sakura whispered through her sobs. It was better she learn now then have to make Gaara tell her whenever he woke up. That poor man had already been through enough.

"Has he woken up yet?" Kakashi asked after she had finished crying.

"We have just finished stabilizing him not to long ago, he has been through a lot, so we don't expect him to wake up for some..." Her words were cut off by a crash coming from inside the tent.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" A gruff voice shouted from inside the tent.

"You need to lay down and rest. Your body is broken and you aren't any good to anyone in the shape you're in!" Dr. Hyuga tried to plead with the red-headed devil of a man.

"I'm still strong enough to kick your ass!" Gaara shouted back.

Sakura walked in to the sight of Gaara sitting up on his cot and using his right arm to throttle Neji.

"Gaara calm down or I'll be forced to sedate you." Sakura said.

Gaaras head snapped up and his arm dropped at the sound of her voice. He looked her in the eyes for all of three seconds before his eyes fell to the floor, he was ashamed of himself, he was ashamed that he wasn't the one that that Naruto tried to bring back.

He was ashamed that he failed his brothers.

"Sakura." He whispered. "What are you doing here?" He managed to choke out.

"Besides saving your life?" Kakashi stated walking in behind her.

At the sight of his commanding officer Gaara attempted to stand only to find that neither of his legs wound function, and almost found himself on the floor.

"At ease soldier." Kakashi said casually. "I'm just coming to check up on you. After your team went dark we assumed the worst. I dispatched a team of Blackhawks and Apachies and thank god I did or you would have been out there for a long time." Kakashi said walking over to the man and placing a hand on his good shoulder.

"Thank you for the concern, sir, but I will be fine." The words tasted hollow and bitter I'm his mouth, and it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than anyone else.

"Of that I have no doubt." Kakashi responded with a small smile. "Take care of yourself Gaara, The Lord knows you've been through enough."

"Sir, Yes, Sir." Gaara responded.

"Okay, now I really need you to leave the tent, sir. I really need to check his vitals." Sakura said, attempting to usher Kakashi from the room.

"Don't worry kid, I'll be back to see you before I get redeployed." Kakashi said leaving the tent.

"You really need to lie down Gaara, you shouldn't over-exert yourself. Your body has been through a lot of trauma." She said quietly.

Gaara complied, albeit a bit grudgingly.

"You should see the other guys." Gaara seethed as she checked his leg for infection. She changed the rest of his bandages, and checked his vitals.

She couldn't help but notice the look in his eyes. It was the same look a dead man has. It was as if his soul died up on that mountain, and his body just kept moving.

And then after Neji left the room the facade fell, and he was the same Gaara that she knew back in high school, the Gaara that cried on her shoulder when his uncle died his senior year. The same Gaara that spoke of his hopes and dreams on the roof of her house the night they graduates.

He broke down and sobbed like a child. He was lost, and she had no idea how to help him find his way. So she did the only thing she could think of and wrapped her arms around him, he didn't even flinch at the pain it must have cause and he just cried.

"I couldn't save him." He sobbed. "I tried so hard."

"I know you did Gaara. I know there was no way you would willingly leave him behind. I heard what you did, you carried his body the whole way down the mountain. That took more strength then any one man could even have. You are the reason he's going home." She said as she rested her head on top on his.

They stayed like that for a long time, seeing the ever strong Gaara break like that had been almost as hard as accepting Naruto was gone.

Eventually Gaara fell asleep in her arms and she laid him down as easily as she could and went back outside the tent.

A guard she had come to know as Yamato in the last few weeks offered her a cigarette and she found she couldn't turn it down. She had quit after high school, but after the day she just had, nicotine was a welcome friend.

Not long after she flicked the cigarette into the sand she heard thrashing coming from inside the tent only to find Gaara in the midst of having a nightmare. His unconscious body was twisting and turning. His brow sweaty and twitching. Mumbling words like "No", and "Should have been me".

She sat in a chair by his bedside and gripped his hand. Not long after he settled down, and she rested her head on his bed. Soon she found herself drifting off to sleep beside her broken best friend.


End file.
